SAGE
by TheMenace3117
Summary: After stealing a device that can hack into anything, Tails goes back to school and locks it away. Exactly as his ex girlfriend said, a criminal comes looking for it. Tails refuses to give it up & Lynx uses his connections to mess with his life inside & out of school. When others learn of his device, Tails becomes a vigilante to save their lives & his own.
1. Chapter 1

**_HELLO READERS! I'VE SPENT SOME TIME REWRITING THIS ONE, BUT NOW IT'S FINALLY DONE. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!_**

 ** _Chapter 1: Once upon a school day..._**

 ** _Tails_** _: So my summer was very eventful. I stole a $100 Million Artificial Intelligence program from a guy who would've used it to hack into military bases and banks._

 _Then my ex-girlfriend Fiona Fox tried to steal it off me, and sell it to other thugs. _

_That didn't work out._

 _After I saved her life, we agreed to part ways and the attempted thefts stopped._

 _I was able to program the A.I into a mobile device that could bypass nearly **any** security system and their grids. I installed it in an App on my cellphone._

 _Predator Hawk codenamed it The SAGE Program._

 _With this program sitting literally in my pocket, I can see why criminals like Hawk would pay millions for it. And it was so tempting to see how far I could go with this._

 _I made a promise to my friends that I would only use it for emergencies, if it came down to life and death._

 _So I locked the SAGE program away and have completely forgotten about it for the time being._

 _It's September now and I'm going into Grade 10. My old vigilante days are behind me and needs to stay out of my school life._

 _But…. You know how well that usually goes for me._

The teenage fox makes his way through the white halls of the local high school in a green, suburban neighborhood. Many of the students are much taller than him, but they take little notice of Miles Prower.

Outside of school, Tails helped Amy, Knuckles and Sonic's brother Manic take down an elite criminal faction called Hazard and saved the city of Metropolis from their undertaking.

At school, he's little Miles Prower, a math and science honor student working with new technology to find a less polluted way of creating energy.

He's not too popular here.

Charmy Bee sees Tails through the crowd so he pushes his way past students and lightly punches his old friends' arm to get his attention.

"Who let you in here, douchebag?" Charmy teases

Tails spins around and recognizes his face "Your mom. I'm here for advanced physics. You?"

"Musical theory. Hey, wanna join my band? It's gonna be dope! Metal meets Rap! Post hardcore meets pop rock! The whole deal!"

Tails isn't sure about mixing those genres together, but shrugs "Sure, there's nothing else to do"

A tall football jock bumps into the much smaller fox on his way by "Outta the way, nerd!"

Tails sighs "Right. Still a loser…"

Once the morning classes were are out of the way, Tails met Charmy in the guitar classroom and signed out one of the schools best classical guitars. When Sonic was still around, he showed the fox the basics of guitar, and eventually Tails got better and better over the years.

Charmy jumped on a medium sized drum set and played what he could, but with not much rhythm. Tails could barely hear himself with all this noise, and decided to practice later.

 _One last thing Fiona told me was that some pretty bad men and women would come looking for the SAGE program. Well…._

A tall, Skinny Yellow hair Lynx walked up to Tails, knowing they'd be alone in this hallway. Before the teenage fox could react, Lynx pulled a pistol out of his jacket and held it up so Tails could see it.

"I just wanna talk" He grumbled in a musky voice

Tails panicked inside, but kept his composure "..about?"

"The A.I you stole"

A few students were turning the corner to walk down this hallway, so Lynx used his gun to signal Tails to follow. The thug was way too old to still be in high school and he smelled of cigarettes and whiskey. His long brown jacket was distressed and likely bought at a thrift store, Tails observed.

This guy Lynx was not affiliated with Hazard, and likely no stranger to shooting his gun.

They reached an area that wasn't covered by a security camera, a blind spot in the school.

Lynx took one last look around "Hand it over. Only time I'll ask"

"Well, technically you didn't ask, you just demanded.."

"You gettin' smart with me?"

Lynx lifted his gun toward Tails' waist

"I didn't bring it!..."

"Well, then take me too it"

The bell rang, signaling Lunch was over and third period started in five minutes. Lynx concealed his weapon as students hurried to their class, not even noticing Tails' predicament.

"I have to be in class or else-"

"Fuck your class, take me to the SAGE program"

A teacher making her rounds walked up to the fox

"Miles, Class is starting soon – Oh, who are you, sir?" She asked

Tails didn't know if he was safe, but seeing another adult made him feel better

"I'm a family friend of little Miles here. Just giving him some lunch money"

Lynx grudgingly took out some cash from his pocket and handed it over to Tails

"Alright, then. Off you go, Miles"

As Tails took off towards his class, he looked back at Lynx. The thug had a devilish smile as he watched his target walk away.

This would be an image Tails never forgot.

 _Aw, Man… just when I thought this year was gonna be easy!..._

The fox sat down at his desk during his and Charmy's music class. The Bee was busy mingling with others while Tails was thinking about his run-in with Lynx.

 _How did he know where to find me? Does he know where I live? Should I tell someone? Wait, how much money did he give me?_

Tails pulled out the bills and started counting, then his eyes went wide

 _Holy shit, $200 bucks! Wait, there's something else in here…_

Just as he pulled out a small business card, a brown female hedgehog walked up to his desk and extended her hand

"Hi there, I'm Lettia! How are you, Tails?" She asked

The question startled Tails so much that he dropped the card and some money

"Lettia, Hi! I'm um- you know my name?" He replied

"Of course I do! I saw you on TV with your friends over the summer! I think what you did for that city was amazing"

 _Right, our hit against Hazard_

Tails shook Lettia's hand and quickly picked up his money. She pulled up a chair next to him and sat down

"Are you and Charmy still looking for a singer?" She asked

"Singer?"

"For your band. Charmy's been telling everyone you guys need one"

"Right, our band… uh-"

"I can sing Pop, Rock, some metal, jazz-"

Charmy Bee ran up beside them and interjected

"Hey there, Lettia! T, here isn't in charge, he just plays the old guitar. I run the show! And you're in!"

"Sweet! Text me when you want to want to practice!"

The girl gave her cellphone number to both Tails and Charmy, but the fox couldn't help but think about the next time he'd run into Lynx.

The end of the day finally comes along, and Tails was on the look-out for the "Smelly Thug"

He stuck in big crowds of students so he'd be harder to get to, and stayed on the main streets instead of the backstreets. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was scared.

Tails entered his one bedroom apartment, locked the door and pushed a tall wooden dresser against it. His heart was racing and he kept thinking about when this Lynx guy was going to show up next. Then he remembered Lynx left him a business card to contact him.

Tails thought back to what Knuckles had told him about bullies:

 _ **No sense in hiding from them. Just get it over with.**_

The Fox went downtown, inside a mall and found a payphone. He looked at the phone number on the card and dialed it, then put two quarters into the slot.

After three rings, someone picked up

"I was wondering if you'd man up and call me" Lynx greeted

"How'd you know it was me?" Tails said

"I only gave my business number to you and my buddy Dean. He's dead, so that leaves you, kid"

 _What a freak_

"Are you going to show up to my school again?"

"Until you give me what I want"

"The staff knows you're not a student. You'll be barred from entering school property"

"Then how about I come to your house? I found your school, it wouldn't be hard to find out where you live"

"You're a psycho!" Tails shouted "You'd go through all kinds of trouble just to get the SAGE program?"

"I've gone through a lot more for lesser things. Of course, you could just hand it over and I'll be out of your life forever"

 _This guy drives a mean bargain, but I'll have to say no_

"I'm never going to give the program to a scumbag like you, whoever you are"

Lynx takes a moment to laugh, then speaks

"A hero is born over the phone. Alright, Prower. Get ready for a life of pain, embarrassment and loss. You won't give it up, fine. I'll take it. Just remember: I warned you"

Tails slammed the phone onto the receiver and left it to hang as he walked away.

 _So let me recap today's events:_

 _A gun-wielding psycho just casually strolls through my school, Charmy's entered us into the battle of the bands and my life's been threatened!_

 _Not bad for my first day back._

 _So this is it. Life or death has finally come._

Tails enters his apartment once more, moves a metal file cabinet and exposes a secret storage door. He types in a password and the door swings open, letting out a gust of cold wind. He flips a light switch and walks to the end of the room.

A silver cellphone encased in glass shines as the light reflects off. Tails grabs it, turns it on and opens an App.

The SAGE program is active once again.

 _Let's see who's talking shit after tonight._


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2: Miscalculation_**

 ** _Tails_ :** _It's been 3 days since that guy Lynx threatened me over the phone, so I decided to act first before he gets brave and makes a move._

 _First, I hacked into my schools security grid (which wasn't hard) and I now have direct access to their security cameras. I also set up facial recognition so that if he does come back, I'll know his name, known address and associates._

 _Second I added an alarm that triggers if the SAGE program spots him visually or confirms his voice to anywhere within the city._

 _Back at school, my classes are pretty easy, it's just band practice that's getting to me. I have to juggle between studying, rehearsing and keeping tabs on Lynx._

 _I play guitar, Charmy's on drums and our new friend Lettia is singing. She's great, I just wish I had the extra time to really get to know her._

The school day comes to an end, and Tails makes his way back home. He listens to music while checking on the SAGE program as he walks.

He unlocks his door, opens a can of soda and sits on his office chair, casually spinning around in circles as he waits for his computer to boot up.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

The teenage fox grabs the desk to stop the spinning chair and cautiously walks to his door. He grabs a metal baton from a closet and holds it behind his back just in case he needs to fight.

He looks through the peep hole and sees Lettia standing in the hallway

 _What's she doing here?_

He tosses the baton away and unlocks the door for her

"Lettia, hey! How are you?" Tails asks

"I'm great, I just wanted to talk to you and Charmy told me your address" she replies

 _Of course he did..._

"Come in. Excuse the mess, I wasn't expecting visitors. Honestly, I never get any these days"

"Aw, why not?"

"Well, my friends all live in different cities or they're out on important missions to save the world" Tails says "They said it was best for me to stay in school, anyway. At least I have Charmy to annoy the shit out of me everyday, now"

The female hedgehog giggles at this and looks around Tails' apartment. She sees a photo of him, Sonic and Knuckles standing in front of a Casino and smiling.

"I read a lot about Sonic, he was like this celebrity from around here. How was he?" Lettia asks

"Ah, y'know... just like you and me. If he was a celebrity, he never acted like it. He just wanted to do the right thing. He was my best friend, a brother. Same with Knuckles, though he'll never admit it. He's a good guy"

Lettia sees a photo of Two older Foxes, male and female, holding a baby closely

"Are these your parents?"

"Yep. Rosemary and Amadeus. That's me they're holding"

"Do you see them often?"

Tails hesitates for a moment before answering "...they're gone, too. When I was 2 they got picked up by Robotnik's militia and I never saw 'em again. Not that I remember seeing them, but y'know..."

With nothing to say, Lettia pulls Tails in for a comforting hug while he tries to get this memory out of his head and move on.

"I'm sorry about everyone you lost. I know what it's like, so uh... if there's anything you need, just let me know"

Tails looks her in the eyes and smiles "Hey, Thanks Lettia. Y'know, you're probably the only girl from school whose even remembered my name, let alone been nice to me"

The female hedgehog smiles back, then Tails' phone starts to vibrate so he glances at it

 **WARNING: LOCATION COMPROMISED, IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED**

 _What the hell?_

"Excuse me just a sec" Tails says

He reads the details and learns 6 hostiles are on their way to his apartment building.

"Is everything alright?" Lettia asks

"Yes, everything's okay. I just have my uh, Landlord coming in for an emergency inspection"

"Don't they need to give 24 hour notice before they can come in?"

Tails thinks fast "Nor-Normally yes but this is a matter of safety, so they say"

Lettia raises an eyebrow at this

"Trust me, it happens a lot here. I just need to clean up quickly, sounds like they're coming within the hour"

"Are you sure everything is alright, Tails?"

"Yes, ask Charmy, he'll tell ya about it while degrading me in the same sentence. Speaking of which, wanna go meet up with him? We can grab something at the food court downtown and have a laugh about this"

"Sure, I'd like that"

"Great, let me just lock up very quickly and we can go"

Tails uses the SAGE program to turn on his security system and motion detectors that are inside and out of his apartment.

"Wait, don't you have to be here when they show up?" Lettia asks

"I've got a feeling they'll come in whether I'm here or not. Besides, I don't have anything to hide. Let's go"

Tails locks his door and checks his phone to see how far the hostiles are from his building. He guides Lettia to a side exit and they narrowly avoid the first hired goon.

The fox looks back and sees three others trying to unlock his window from the outside

The security system won't hold them off for long

Charmy Bee waves to them from a rooftop patio so they climb some stairs and sit at his table. Other teenagers from their school crowd the patio, making Tails harder to see if someone wanted to get to him.

He checks his phone, a camera inside his apartment shows the hostiles have broken in and are rummaging through his property

"You guys thirsty? I need a drink. I'll be back in a second"

Before his friends can answer, Tails gets up and pushes through the crowd, accidentally bumping into other students and knocking over their drinks

A tall football player nicknamed Gin stands in Tails' way "What's your problem, Prower?!"

"Not now, Ginger!" Tails shouts as he tries getting past

"What, you finally grow a pair and wanna fight? Well, c'mon!"

As Gin lunges forward, Tails side steps to the right, ducks under his arms and jumps over the railing to the sidewalk below.

"Yeah, that's what I thought! Don't come back here 'less you wanna catch a beating, dork!"

 _You're lucky I can't use this on douchebags like you, Gin..._

Lettia watches as Tails sprints away from the rooftop party and she takes out her phone to call him. Charmy takes a drink of his Club Soda and looks at her

"I wouldn't bother if I were you, girl. Tails is a very complicated soul and if he wants to be alone, it's best to leave him until he wants to come back"

"I just don't understand why he'd rather isolate himself than to take help from his friends"

"Well, when you've lost everyone special in your life like he has, I'm sure you'd understand why he's cautious as to who he gets close to" Charmy says

Lettia puts her phone down and looks at him "I guess you're right... you're a good friend to him, Charm"

"Oh, you should see us when we get into an argument. It's a different story, then"

Tails jumps up, twists his two tails together and propels himself high into the air. He flies to the roof of his apartment building and pulls out his phone, arming his home defence system

Inside, the 6 hostiles search through Tails' stuff when suddenly a loud **BEEP** sounds out.

"What'd you do?!" The first thug demands

"Nothing!"

 **A.I Voice: YOU HAVE 5 SECONDS TO EVACUATE THE PREMISES**

"What the hell is that?"

"It's an alarm, jackass!"

 **YOU HAVE 4 SECONDS TO EVACUATE-**

"It's just a scare tactic! Keep searching!"

"Screw this, man!"

 **-3 SECONDS TO EVACUATE THE PREMISES-**

"God damnit, don't chicken out now!"

 **2 SECONDS-**

"It's over here!"

 **LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED**

Tails grabs his phone "No, not lethal force! Just stun them!"

All 6 hostiles are zapped by an electrical current that blasts from a hidden conductor in the wall. Every thug yelps in pain then drops to the floor, unconscious.

Tails lets out a sigh of relief and heads inside to assess the damage.

Within half an hour the whole neighbourhood is here watching as police arrest the 6 thugs. Lettia and Charmy run over to Tails, still talking to a police officer

"Oh my goodness, are you alright, Tails?" Lettia asks

"I'm fine, I got home just in time to catch these guys"

The officer looks at the teenage fox "You never did tell me how you caught them, or even knew there was trouble"

"Yeah, well - I installed a security system in my apartment, I'm sure those are legal to have, right?" Tails snaps back

"But, didn't you say you're landlord was on his way here, earlier?" Lettia asks

 _Damnit!_

The cop looks at him closely "Is there something you're not telling me? You in some kinda trouble, kid? It's alright, you can trust us"

Without hesitation Tails says "I'm fine, officer. Thank you for your help, but I really just want to be alone right now"

"Here's my card if you do wanna talk"

Tails takes it and heads back towards the apartment building. Lettia grabs his arm and stops him

"Tails, you're acting weird, is there something-"

"I'm fine. I just have some stuff to sort through, Lettia. Sorry about earlier. I'll see you tomorrow"

The fox heads inside the building, enters his apartment and shuts the door behind him.

 _God damn you, Lynx... how'd you find me?..._

It takes Tails one minute to figure it out. He plugs the SAGE program into his encrypted computer and checks the IP security status: Open

 _Son of a bitch tracked me as soon as I put SAGE online... alright, let's play this game, Lynx. You wanna track me? Have fun traveling to the Mystic Zone, douche._

Tails' phone starts ringing with multiple text messages incoming

 **CHARMY: Bro, what's going on?**

 **LETTIA: I just heard what you said online, is that true?**

 **KNUCKLES: You've got some balls to say that**

 **CREAM: Do you really feel that way?**

 **AMY: Tails, what's wrong?**

The fox reads all these texts and more as more come in, some are sent from unknown numbers.

Tails frantically checks online to see what everyone's talking about, then he sees it

"Oh my god"

 _Lynx, you son of a bitch!..._


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3: Getting Serious_**

 ** _Tails_ : **_Lynx managed to hack my social media account and make some rather nasty posts on my behalf. I won't get into details but my god, it was bad._

 _The text messages kept coming and coming, and since Lynx shared my phone number and address, many angry kids from school came knocking. This is a nightmare._

 _He even said I was jealous of Sonic and was glad he died. Son of a bitch!..._

 _The next day came and I wasn't gonna hide from school just because of some lies, I intend on telling the truth._

"So, you see: It wasn't me who posted all this garbage!"

The entire school looked at Tails like he was stupid, then more whispers could be heard throughout the crowd.

"Everyone knows you hate the football team, you're jealous of every music student and you can't back up what you say. We know it was you who said these things because you hate everyone here!"

"Now, hold on just a second-"

The school bell rings and the students leave the fox in the main lobby, apart from Lettia and Charmy.

The female hedgehog shakes her head "Tails, whatever you're going through, this isn't the way to handle it"

"But-"

She leaves while Charmy walks up "The competition starts at 2. Try not to start anymore shit with anyone before then, I'd like to leave here with arms and legs attached"

Tails wants to say something but nothing comes out, so he walks towards his class and sits down. He notices other students staring at him, making the experience even more uncomfortable.

Hours pass and the Battle of the Bands gets started. Tails tunes up his Black Electric guitar, Charmy stretches his arms and grabs his drum sticks, and Lettia practices humming through the song they're going to play.

The trio walks up to the curtain and wait for their cue to come onstage

"You guys ready?" Charmy asks

"Yep"

"Ready as I'll ever be"

"Great. One last thing, T: Don't stand too close to the front of the stage, I heard some guys saying they're gonna throw Tomatoes at you, so uh..."

"WHAT?!"

 _ **-And our third band competing today-**_

"Oh, there's our cue, Let's go!"

Charmy and Lettia walk onstage first, drawing a round of applause as they grab their instruments. As Tails pushes the curtain back, the crowd goes silent, some even start to boo. But he doesn't care, he just wants to play their song and leave.

Lettia grabs the microphone "Hey everyone, I'm Lettia, That's Miles on guitar and Charmy on Drums. We're gonna play a song called ' _My Own Worst Enemy_ ' by a band called Lit... hope you enjoy"

Tails plugs his guitar into an amplifier and plays the intro, gaining a small response from the crowd.

Just before Lettia starts to sing, Tails jumps in front of the microphone and sings the first line himself:

 _Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk,_

 _I didn't mean to call you that_

He looks at Lettia to finish the lyrics with him, which she does but she stares at him the whole time

 _It's no surprise to me, I am my own worst enemy,_

 _'Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me_

They play the whole song this way, getting cheers from the crowd and some even start to sing along

When they finish, the entire auditorium erupts in cheers and applause for the group.

 ** _Tails_ :** _In the end, no tomatoes were thrown and they cheered for us. That's all I care about._

The trio waves to the crowd as they exit and head backstage. Charmy starts cheering loudly himself as he passes the other bands in the competition

"That was sick, bro! You guys lit them up with that stunt! Man, that was so cool!" Charmy exclaims

"Tails, I don't know what that was all about but I'm glad you did that, now they love us!" Lettia says

She quickly kisses him on the cheek and hugs Charmy as they walk to the dressing room. Tails gets phone call from an unknown number so he goes outside to answer it

"Hello?"

"That was pretty cute, your little performance"

It's Lynx

"So you're still watching me. That's called stalking and it's illegal and frankly, pretty creepy. I can call the cops on you" Tails says

"Using the SAGE program is illegal and I could call the cops on you for having it"

A slight hesitation between both keeps the line silent for a moment "...but you won't because then the cops'll have possession of it. Yeah, I know what game you're playing, Lynx"

"I bet your classmates loved what you had to say about them, didn't they"

"If hacking into my account and posting fake shit is the best you can do then you suck as a bad guy"

"It wasn't just your classmates I sparked a fire with, Miles. I thought your teachers, Landlord and case worker needed a personal touch"

Tails' eyes widen " ** _What did you do?!_**"

"I'm not gonna spoil it for ya, why don't you go have a look for yourself"

Lettia comes outside just as Tails hangs up his phone and takes off running toward his apartment building

"Where are you going? They're having a party in the Gym!"

Tails looks back "Now's not a great time"

"What about your guitar?"

"Tell Charmy to hang onto it!"

The Fox jumps into the air and flies away from the school while Lettia watches.

He comes home to see the landlord ordering a moving company around Tails' apartment. He tries to plead with her but after the comments made on his behalf and the property destroyed, he is evicted from the premises.

Next, Tails receives a call from his support worker who helps him pay rent. It seems he made a decision to end his partnership with them and will work alone from now on.

Finally, Tails' bank account is drained of all funds and his cellphone service is cut off.

The Fox drags his belongs down the street with him and he sits at a park alone. Even the local families give him dirty looks as they pass by.

 ** _Tails_ :** _And that's when I found out just how serious Lynx' threats were. He wants the SAGE program so bad that he'd destroy a 15 year olds' life and leave him homeless. That's pretty low, man._

 _But I wasn't about to give in. I'm still breathing, and he ain't getting this device. I just need a new plan._

 _I think it's time to call Manic._

Tails is listening to music when suddenly the entire park starts glowing Neon Green, prompting him to look up.

Manic the Hedgehog holds his Jade Medallion up, eyes glowing green for a moment then his energy fades as he looks down

"I hope none of that shit you said is true, bro"

Tails puts his phone down "You really believe I'd say those things?"

Manic looks at him "...not unless you wanted an ass kicking"

They both laugh and shake hands, then sit on the swings.

"So tell me how this whole thing started, what's this guy's name?"

"He calls himself Lynx, he doesn't come out of hiding much and he's pretty smart with computers. He wants this-"

Tails shows the SAGE program to Manic "ain't that the Artificial Intelligence device you took from Predator Hawk?"

"Yeah, I just made a few adjustments to it. So anyway-"

Manic takes the device "What sort of adjustments, what can it do?"

Tails takes it back "Some powerful stuff. I can hack into a military base if I wanted to. The bio-mechanics and technology used in this makes it possible to bypass virtually ANY security system on the planet"

"So you're saying this thing could shut off the camera on an ATM and steal the money inside?"

"Well, Yeah, that's pretty basic for this thing-"

Manic takes the device "Great, let's go. I'm getting short on cash and I'm hungry, wanna try a Casino Zone-Style Sandwich? I want to"

"Manic, wait! You can't just - rob ATM's with this!"

"Why not? The government robs us of trillions with all their taxes so what's a couple hundred bucks to them? C'mon, I know you wanna"

"I swore I wouldn't abuse this power, and only use it for emergencies!" Tails protests

Manic stops "Hm, lets see: this creepy guy hacked your shit and got a whole city to hate you, then he sent his boys after you, and NOW he got you evicted and walking the streets. Tails, bro - I'm pretty god damn sure this is an emergency"

The teenage Fox thinks for a minute, then nods his head in agreement

"There comes a time when every man needs to just say Fuck It. Tails, my good friend, this is your time"

"You're right, Manic. I've been taking everyone's shit for too long, now. This IS my time!"

"And what do you say to all the fakes out there?"

"Fuck them!"

"I can't hear you!"

"I said FUCK THEM!"

"That's the spirit, kid. Now let's make some money"

As Tails shows Manic how to operate his device, The Green Hedgehog points it at an ATM, presses a few buttons and cash starts flying from the machine.

"I think I got it, bro"

Manic starts picking up $20 bills while others look on

"Hello everyone, just picking up some unwanted cash. Trust me, it's for a good cause" Manic says "...okay, you can go about your business, there's nothing to see here!"

"Uh, Manic? I believe they're calling the cops"

"Then let's split, I'll find us somewhere to lay low"

A group of citizens stand in their way "You're not going anywhere, you thieves!"

Manic's fists start glowing green "Wanna bet?"

A few move, and the ones that don't get punched and knocked backwards as Manic's Medallion energy blasts them away.

Tails looks at his friend "Dude!"

"Don't worry, it's non-lethal! Now let's go!"

The duo take off running into the backstreets and hide out while police search the area.

They reach the south end of town, known for gang activity and police raids. Manic enters the lobby of a small Motel and throws a few hundred dollars on the counter.

"I'd like a room with two beds, please and thank you"

The clerk looks at him "We only got rooms with single beds"

Tails looks at Manic, who shrugs at this "That will do. How much for a week?"

"$400"

"Reasonable price" Manic says as he pays and gets the key "Miles, my good friend, would you kindly bring our belongings to the room? I have some business to attend to downtown"

Tails glares at Manic, then takes the room key and brings everything inside.

The room is medium sized, comes with a mini fridge, microwave and decent sized bathroom. The Fox plugs his phone into a wall charger and lays on the queen size mattress.

An hour later Manic comes back with a brand new backpack stuffed full of liquor bottles, Sneakers and a new cellphone.

"Where'd you go? What'd you do with my Device?" Tails asks

"Relax, newbie. I bought some necessities for the stay" Manic responds "And because I knew your phone got cut off, I bought you a burner phone. Neat, huh"

Tails looks through the bag "Shoes? What are those for?"

"Mine are kinda worn down so I took it upon myself to buy some new ones"

"Manic, You can't just steal things because you can... I know I agreed to use SAGE but we can't abuse it!"

The Green Hedgehog takes a bite of a giant Club Sandwich and throws another one to Tails "Why not?"

"Because that's how Lynx tracked me down the first time! I went online, used it on my home security and he found me!"

Manic stops eating "Oh"

"Okay, let me just fiddle around with the settings and we'll wait it out" Tails grabs the sandwich "Thank you for this, and getting the room. They wouldn't ever have rented to a 15 year old runaway"

"Not a problem. By the way, police are looking for you so I don't suggest you leave this room for a day or two"

"That's - just fantastic..."

"Welcome to real life, pal. You gotta do whatcha gotta do to survive"

Tails looks at his laptop screen "Yeah, I guess you do..."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4: Switch Out_**

 _ **Tails:** I stayed in my cramped motel room for 2 days straight, while Manic went to the Station Square Strip, a long street with Bars and Nightclubs beside each other. He only came back to shower and change clothes, and drop off whatever he "picked up"_

 _On the third day I said screw this hiding out crap._

 _The second I walked into school I could feel a hate-on from students AND teachers._

 _I gotta give Lynx credit for his tenacity._

The whole class stopped talking once Tails walked inside and sat down at his desk. He pulled out his black headphones and turned off his music, still receiving gawking looks from his classmates.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Tails asked

"We don't want you here"

"Well, that's too bad 'cause I'm not going anywhere. Now can we get this lesson started, Mr. Brown?"

The PA system sounded before anyone could say anything

- _ **MILES PROWER TO THE MAIN OFFICE, MILES PROWER TO THE MAIN OFFICE**_ -

 _Great, what now?_ Tails thought

Without saying a word the teenage fox gets up and leaves the geography classroom, trying his best to ignore the quiet murmurs from his classmates. He looks around the white hallways on his trip to the office, unaware of what waits for him.

Tails is escorted into the principal's office and there he finds a police officer talking with Principal O'Shea

"Miles, come in and have a seat" O'Shea greets

Tails grips his bag tighter "I'm good standing, sir"

"Very well. It's come to my attention you've been quite outspoken about our staff, students, local residents and even your support workers... none of it was in a positive light"

"Mr. O'Shea, that wasn't me who made those ridiculous comments-"

"You've also been linked with the willful destruction of property both on and off school grounds"

"Now, I have no idea what you're talking about, sir-"

"Miles, this is criminal behaviour you've displayed. I tried to reach you but it seems all communications have been shut off, and you've been evicted from your apartment building. It's been three days since you've been to school, what is going on?"

Tails looks at the police officer, recognizing him as the cop who spoke to him when Lynx' 6 thugs broke into his apartment. He clears his throat and speaks

"Alright, there _is_ something I haven't told you about, officer... there's a guy who's coming after me. He came here with a gun and he made those comments posing as me" Tails confesses

The officer crosses his arms "And why would this man be coming after you? Is this about comments you made about him?"

"I didn't say shit about anyone!" Tails shouts

"Calm down, Miles-"

"No, because you and officer dickie-nuts here won't believe a thing I say! There's a psycho threatening my life and you guys are acting like I'm just a stupid kid!"

"Alright, I think I've heard enough" O'Shea sighs "Miles Prower, you leave me no choice but to expel you from Station Square Central-"

"What?! No, you can't do that!"

"..and since you do not have anyone to take guardianship over you, Officer Baxter will take you to be signed into a home for youths-"

" ** _A_ _Group_ _Home_?!** No, wait! I'm not going to a god damn-"

Manic the hedgehog barges in "I'll take guardianship over him"

O'Shea and Baxter look at him "And who might you be?"

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog's brother, and Miles is a close friend of mine. I'm willing to take responsibility over him, if you allow it"

Baxter stands up straight "You'll need to come to an office downtown and fill out all the legal paperwork, sir"

"Not a problem. Lead the way"

Tails looks at the Green Hedgehog for a moment, then his vision is shifted into the hallway outside the office. A big group of students have been watching everything that's happened in the office for at least 5 minutes.

Manic turns around "You guys enjoying the show? Got nothing better to do? Jesus..."

"Get that douchebag Prower outta here!" one student shouts

The other students rally behind him and shout at Tails

"Damn, this school is cold... can we get this show on the road, cop?" Manic asks

The officer escorts Tails and Manic through the school hallways and into his cruiser outside. They drive away from SSC, probably for the last time.

 _ **Tails:** Man, I'm glad Manic showed up when he did. I wouldn't have lasted 1 day in an inner city group home, no matter which one they put me in. The REALLY bad teenagers live there and they'd eat me alive._

 _Kinda gets me curious as to where Manic grew up..._

 _The day was spent at this social services building downtown, they needed to ensure Manic wasn't some psychopath. By the end of it, we were both pretty pissed off because of how long it took, but it was worth it._

 _Manic is now my legal guardian._

 _We stopped at a pizza shop and ate the biggest pepperoni pizza they had. By this point, it was 8:30 and the sun was setting. I just wanted to head back to the motel and rest after all that._

 _The whole time I had the feeling we were being watched, but I couldn't see anything or anyone following. Weird..._

The duo enter the motel room and Tails turns on the Flat Screen TV. Manic reaches into the mini fridge and pops open a bottle of White Ox Beer, offering one to the teenage fox but he declines.

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something everyday, Manic" Tails says

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it. Just make sure to get me a really big birthday gift next year, bro"

Manic's cellphone buzzes loudly so he picks it up to answer

"Yeah? You what? Hold on" Manic walks to the door "I gotta take this"

The hedgehog leaves the motel room while Tails uses the WIFI on his laptop and looks online. After another minute, Manic comes back in and begins packing his backpack

"What's going on?" Tails asks

"Ah, there's some wannabe cowboy assholes bothering my girlfriend back in Metropolis. I gotta go kick some ass down there" Manic answers

"You have a girlfriend? I didn't know that"

"Well- we're off and on... you gonna be alright here for a few days?"

Tails picks up the SAGE program "Yeah, I'm good"

Manic fist bumps him "I'll text you when I'm finished. Stay cool, bro"

Tails nods "I will roger that"

The Hedgehog activates his Jade Medallion and his entire body glows Neon Green. He walks out and disappears in a blur before the door shuts behind him.

Tails picks up his phone and looks at it, casually listening to whatever commercial is on TV. A meme he sees online makes him laugh quietly.

The front door is opened up, while the Fox was practically waiting for it.

Without looking away from his phone Tails says "What, you forget your beer, now?"

Fiona Fox closes the door "No, do you have some?"

Tails drops his phone and jumps out of bed "What the fu- Fiona! Where's Man- You didn't just see- what's going on?!"

She looks around the motel room for a moment "I heard you got evicted from your apartment, but _damn_... this is a _**serious**_ downgrade, Miles"

"Ugh, look Fiona; I've had a pretty shit week and I'm not in the mood for anymore so could you please-"

"I can get Lynx off your back"

Tails stops "...H-how did you know he was messing with me?"

"C'mon Miles, this is all over the internet. He put up blogs and videos documenting everything he's done so far, he set up a gay fan club for you and from what I heard, these guys really want your number"

"Okay, stop! ...god damnit, this guy's an asshole. A genius, but an asshole... what all do you know about him?"

Fiona smiles "Does this mean you're gonna work with me?"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to.. Hey, I'm telling you right now- this is strictly business. I've played your game enough times to know how it ends.."

She grabs his hand "But, it's so much more fun when we play together"

He pulls his hand back "But it's not as much fun when we when end up fighting so I think I'll keep this professional, Fiona"

She sighs "...Okay, we'll keep it professional. But you're missing out, Miles..."

"Right. So, where do we start?"

Fiona reaches for the SAGE program "I'm gonna need this-"

"No! God damnit, I knew it, you're just came here to take this from me!"

"Fine, then can you use your little phone to find a guy named _**Nuggetz?**_ "

"What? Who's that?" Tails asks

"He's Lynx' supplier. Drugs, guns, spyware, all that stuff. If we find him, we can get a location for our friend Lynx"

"...his name is Nuggetz?"

"It's obviously not his real name, dummy. Can you find him or not?"

Tails looks at her "What's your angle? There's something you want out of this, I _obviously_ know that"

She grins "Okay, yes- I may benefit from your actions in a small way. But since you won't give me that A.I-"

"Because I know what'd you do with it"

"...that being said, I'm just a girl looking for a way out of where she is right now. And since YOU exposed all my hiding spots, I think it's only fair you help me find that way"

Tails sits on the bed and groans "Oh, man- this just gets better and better..."

"So, that's what I want out of our partnership- I forgive you, by the way"

"Maybe if you weren't hanging out with Scourge and the rest of those bad guys, you wouldn't have been sent out in the cold, ever think of that?" Tails asks

"Yeah. Everyday I think about it. My first ex boyfriend drags me into this underworld and my second ex pulls me out, but with nowhere to go. Pretty sad, right"

Tails lays back and puts his hands on his forehead "There's no winning with you, is there?"

Fiona sits down next to him "I help you, you help me. That sounds like a win/win situation to me.. Then we can get through the struggle together"

She looks down at him as their eyes meet, and plants a kiss on his lips. It last only 5 seconds before she gets up and stands by the door.

"Lets go find this scumbag before he goes to bed"

Tails laughs to himself and puts his shoes on

"Lead the way, princess"

The two Foxes leave the Motel room and head out into the city streets to find Lynx' supplier, the elusive Nuggetz.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5: A Hero Is Born_**

Tails leads Fiona through a Carnival that's in town for the week. She stops for cotton candy and Tails picks up a chilli dog on their way by. The teenage Fox uses the SAGE program to watch security cameras and find this Nuggetz guy

"That's him, right there" Fiona says, pointing at the phone screen "He's got backup, all carrying suitcases. He's going to a meeting, probably a drug deal"

"Let's use the security cameras to follow him to the meet" Tails replies

Fiona holds his hand as they walk through the crowd and walk behind a vendors' stand. Tails spots a hole in a wooden fence and sees a tall guard watching over the deal. He pulls her in and holds tight as he spins his two tails and flies above ground.

They stay in as much of the shadows as they can to avoid detection.

"There he is" Tails says "What's the plan?"

Fiona pulls out a pistol "I'm going to shoot him"

"What?!"

She fires 10 shots, most hitting their targets. Tails maneuvers away from the deal and lands on the ground.

"It's a setup!" One thug shouts

"Get the boss to cover!"

Fiona pushes Tails out of the way and fires more shots at them as they run. Tails grabs her and they fly off in the opposite way as the crowd screams in terror.

"Miles, let me go! I have to finish this!"

Tails says nothing and heads out to the highway just south of the carnival.

He lets her go "What was that?! You didn't say anything about shooting this guy!"

"Because I knew you were gonna be a pussy about it! You can't handle jack shit, Tails!" Fiona shouts

"You never change, do you. You use me to get something, then you leave. Come back to use me for something else, and get me in even more shit than the last time!"

"That's a bad guy, I'm pretty sure you wanted to stop the bad guys, right? It shouldn't matter how they get stopped, it's not you who's pulling the trigger!"

"It matters to me, Fiona. It matters that the one girl who can get close enough to manipulate me uses me for bad shit, then kisses me goodbye and acts like nothing happened. And I'm done with that shit!"

Fiona opens her mouth to say something but Tails cuts her off

"It's time you moved on, and away from me! I tried to help you, I did my best... but you're evil. Or you just like to do evil things. Either way, we're done. This is it for us"

The female Fox says nothing as Tails walks away from her and back to the city. He puts his headphones in and listens to whatever song his ipod plays first.

 _ **Tails:** I couldn't believe it. Fiona dragged me into a drug deal and made me an accomplice to murder. I knew I should've told her NO the second she came to the motel room, but of course I have to be an idiot. I was so pissed, I punched a STOP sign and nearly broke my hand. I sat on a park bench and listened to my Chill Playlist._

 _I only play it when I need to chill._

 _I sat there thinking for about 5 minutes before Fiona showed up again_

"Please, Fiona just-"

The female Fox tosses a teenage hedgehog with Red hair down to the street

"I found this guy following you and making a phone call. Take a guess who was on the other line" Fiona says

Tails looks down at the hedgehog "Lynx... he hired you to follow me"

The kid puts his arms up "Hey, hey chill bro! I just needed the money, I ain't got shit! I'm sorry!"

"What's your name?"

"Duncan, bro, it's Duncan!"

Tails looks up at Fiona "Where'd you catch him?"

"Up on that billboard over there. Little fucker was taking photos, too" she answers

"Look, I'm sorry! This guy paid me up front, I had to do it!"

"Where is Lynx?"

"I don't know, he disappeared after he paid me, okay?"

Fiona pulls out her gun and aims it at Duncan, earning another fearful tremble

"I don't believe that horse shit for a second, do better!" She shouts

"Put the gun away!" Tails orders

"This little dipshit's lying but you're yelling at me?"

Tails quickly takes the gun away and unloads the clip "No more killing. I'm keeping this"

Fiona scoffs and walks to the corner, while Tails looks at Duncan

"You'd better start talking, pal"

"Look, I told you everything I know, Man! This dude just paid me to keep track of you!"

Tails grabs Duncan by the shirt "Lynx. His name is Lynx! Where is he?!"

Just as he throws the red hedgehog against a tree, Charmy Bee, Lettia and two of her friends walk down the sidewalk towards them

"Tails?"

"Charmy, Lettia! And your friends whose names I don't know, what a surprise!" Tails says

"What're you doing to this guy?" Lettia asks

He lets go of Duncan "We were just rough-housing in the street, is all. This is my friend Duncan"

"I'm not his friend!" Duncan responds

"Hahaha! what a guy! Next thing you'll be saying is that you WEREN'T following me around, right?"

Duncan stays quiet

"Right. What uh- what brings you guys out here?"

Charmy grins "I was just walking through the Carnival looking for you or somebody to chill with, then Lettia and her beautiful friends showed up so we hung out here"

"Until someone started shooting behind a Vendor. The Carnival management called the cops and they had to shut down the entire park" one of the girls says

"Yeah, that was messed up. Did you guys hear anything out here?" Charmy asks

Tails looks away "Nope, not a thing. Look, about ditching the contest last week-"

Fiona walks up "Miles, we have to go. Cops are all over the place- who the hell is this?"

Lettia, Charmy and the girls look at the female Fox with blank expressions, then the Bee starts laughing

"T, don't tell me you're back with Fiona! Oh, that is hilarious!"

"Why's That?" Fiona asks in a threatening manner

"I mean it's not funny at all. No way. It's adorable if anything"

Lettia looks at Tails "Is this- your girlfriend?"

"Ex girlfriend, technically" Charmy says

"Thank you very much, Charmy, you can be quiet now!..." Tails says "Lettia, I-"

"So you like hanging out with your ex, huh?" She says

Fiona looks at her "What's it to you? Do you like Miles or something? Trying to ask him out?"

"What? No! We're just band mates, nothing else!" She responds

pTails looks at Lettia with sorrowing eyes

"And since we won the band competition, there's no need for us to be around each other anymore. So you can have him"

Fiona wraps her arms around Tails and presses her lips to his. He feels her tongue circle around for a moment, then she releases and speaks

"Good. I was beginning to think _I_ had some competition"

Lettia glares at Tails, then storms off back toward the Carnival. Her two friends insult the Fox then catch up to her.

Charmy looks at his friend "Damn, that was savage! Totally going online now, smile for the camera!"

Fiona gives a big smile and Tails looks away in disgust. Charmy's camera flashes and he takes off toward the Carnival as well.

Duncan looks at both the Foxes "...sooooo what now?"

"I'm going home. The girl I actually liked now hates me, my only friend is going to humiliate me even further online and I'm still an accessory to murder. If your aim was to help kick me while I'm down, well then mission accomplished!..."

"Tails, lighten up. I probably saved you from a controlling bitch of a girlfriend. You see the way those two followed her every move? Ridiculous!" Fiona says

"Gee-fucking-thanks, I owe you SO MUCH!" Tails shouts sarcastically

Fiona stays quiet as Tails walks away

Duncan grins "Great, I'm gonna head home"

"Not so fast, asshole! You're gonna get in contact with Lynx and we're gonna go meet with him" Fiona orders

"Uhh- I can't do that!"

"Then tell us where you met Lynx at, you said he paid you in person, right? where was it?"

"I never said shit about that! I just said he paid me!"

Fiona grabs him by the shirt "Where. Did. This. Happen?!"

Duncan sees her eyes burning with rage, but he doesn't want to give up his boss. he looks over to Tails as if he can stop this, but the teenage Fox just watches from the sideline.

"...argh! The Grindhouse! The one on Dexter Avenue! Don't tell Lynx I told you!" Duncan pleads

Fiona throws him to the ground and Tails looks at him "If I were you, I'd leave town"

 _ **Tails:** We went to this Grindhouse place and what did we find?_

 _Nothing._

 _I left a few hidden cameras around the area, and I waited._

 _Eventually Lynx made his rounds and was making more deals with punks from the innercity, probably to spy on me after I sent Duncan packing._

 _I bought a long dark jacket, a skull-designed muzzle mask and ballcap to help me blend into the shadows if I need to escape,_ Watch Dogs _style._

 _I didn't tell Fiona about my meeting with Lynx because I don't need her shooting anyone else._

 _I'm going in solo._

Tails flies across various rooftops and stays out of the light gleaming from the street lamps. His phone shows him that Lynx is inside the Grindhouse and showing off a briefcase full of cash, but SAGE can't get facial recognition scans on either of the innercity punks.

Tails gently lands on the roof and looks in through a skylight window, giving him a full view of the lobby. Only 2 small lights illuminate the meet, making it harder to spot any weapons.

Lynx crosses his arms "Look, my last guy got made and ran off like a pussy. I need someone who ain't scared, and can fight. Is that either of you, or am I wasting my time?"

One punk looks up "Yo, we're not pussies! But you want us to follow some 15 year old kid around? What's up with that?"

"Do you wanna make some money or not?"

The Skylight glass is smashed and Tails jumps into the lobby. The punks take cover behind concrete pilars while Lynx pulls out his gun.

Tails sidesteps to the left, hooks Lynx' arms and flips him onto the floor. The teenage Fox lands a few punches on his enemy, but Lynx kicks him off and runs to the exit. Tails picks up the gun and fires a few shots at the front door, stopping Lynx on the spot

Lynx looks at him, eyes wide open in shock "...What do you want?"

Tails says nothing and keeps the weapon raised

"Can't you speak?! I'm trying to talk this out! What did Prower pay you? I can give ya 10 times more! See that briefcase? It's yours! Just don't fucking shoot me!"

 _Holy shit, he doesn't know it's me under this disguise!_ Tails thinks while aiming the gun

The Fox looks at the two punks and signals for them to slide the briefcase over to him. He bends over to pick it up and fires shots at the lights. Once it gets dark inside, the Fox is gone.

He flies into the night sky and heads back to his motel room. Fiona is sleeping when Tails walks through the front door and takes off his disguise.

She looks up "...what are you wearing?"

"This is my undercover outfit"

"You're a dork, Miles"

"Whatever.."

Tails pulls out his burner phone and dials Lynx' phone number. It rings twice before he picks up

"Yeah, what?" Lynx growls

"Did my friend give a good first impression?" Tails says

"Listen to me, you little shit! You can hire anyone you want but that won't save your ass from what I've got coming for you! I'll get your little hero and skin him alive and send him back in a box! He made a big fuckin' mistake when he stole my money!"

"Right, right, skin him alive, send him back in a box- buddy, you watch too many movies. My friend is going to help me take you down, Lynx. You're finished" Tails says

"I gave you a chance, Miles. You and your friend are gonna die, you motherfucker. Watch yourself, punk"

Tails laughs at this "First off, it's not me who needs to watch my back. And second- his name is SAGE"


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6: Vigilante At Work_**

Fiona leaves Tails' motel room the next morning to get breakfast at a nearby fast food restaurant, while the teenage fox takes his time to wake up. He takes a shower, grabs a new pair of clothes and checks his phone for any messages.

He received a text from an unknown number 25 minutes ago

Tails opens the message "Now, who could this be?"

 **UNKNOWN CONTACT: Tails, this is Duncan. Please call back, it's important! Lynx is after me now!**

"...I'm not sure about this, but what the hell. Sure"

The fox dials the number and waits for an answer. The line rings three times before Duncan picks it up

"Tails, man I'm glad you called!" He greets

"How'd you know my phone number?" Tails asks

"You're not the only one whose good at hacking into stuff. But that's not important. Listen, after you and your girlfriend let me go last night, Lynx sent some boys to silence me in my dorm! I got away but I don't have anywhere to go, and that psycho is coming for me! You gotta help me, Please!" Duncan pleads

"Okay, okay! Meet me at the Mongol Statue in Green Hill. Watch your back out there"

Tails hangs up and puts his sneakers on just as Fiona walks in with a few bags of food

"Where are you going?" She asks

"Going to meet Duncan in Green Hill, he said Lynx is trying to kill him"

Fiona raises an eyebrow "That kid who was following us around last night?"

"No time to explain, I'll be back after!"

 _ **Tails:** I met Duncan and he told me what happened. I learned not to trust anyone so easily but this kid seems genuine so I took his word on this story._

 _I gave him enough cash to stay in a shared housing complex for the rest of the month. These places are the lowest of the low in terms of shelter, lots of drug dealers there... but it's a roof._

 _Duncan also told me Lynx wants to get rid of Sage, my secret vigilante alter ego. He gave me an great idea, that I could win over the general public by helping them and in turn they'd help me, maybe even draw out Lynx if they spot him around town._

 _I started with two siblings, Percilla and Pernell. They've got a landlord who's blackmailing not just them, but most of the other residents in the apartment building he owns. I put on the disguise and went to work_

Sage climbs to the top of the building and plugs the A.I program into a router control box. He looks through the buildings' layout and finds the landlords apartment. He hacks into the system and turns the heat all the way up in there. He then cuts the link between his satellite TV connection. He enters the building and waits for the landlord to leave his apartment.

He does and runs up to the Router control box, giving Sage a chance to break into his apartment. He finds evidence of this guy blackmailing his tentants, as well as 10 different high-end cellphones. Sage takes a photo of the apartment, collects the physical evidence and takes 2 phones on his way out.

Within 10 minutes police are all over the building. They break into the landlords' apartment and arrest him. Sage watches from the shadows nearby as the whole neighbourhood cheers upon this douchebags' arrest.

 _ **Tails:** I made my way to meet Percilla and Pernell in a park nearby, time to see what they know about Lynx_

He walks through the shadows and approaches the siblings

"I can't believe you actually got rid of that creep! You're the best!" Percilla exclaims

Tails uses a voice modifier app on his phone to distort his voice: _**Lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet. You said you knew who one of Lynx' contacts were, correct?**_

Pernell opens his phone and shows a photo "Yeah, this guy. His name is Stevie"

 _ **Alright. I appreciate the tip.**_

Sage turns around to walk back in the shadows when Percilla calls out to him

"Are you some kind of- superhero?"

 _ **...I wouldn't use the word 'heroic' to describe what I'm doing right now**_

The vigilante pulls his hoodie over his face and makes his way back into the city streets through the shadows. He hacks into the Station Square criminal database and finds Stevie's address. Sage makes his way across town to an auto body garage that's been converted to fit a small bachelors apartment upstairs. Totally illegal, but nobody bugs the owners about it

Sage climbs the chain link fence around the compound and gets inside. It's pitch black here so he uses his phone as a nightvision camera to see.

Someone jumps off a balcony and tackles Sage to the ground.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

The vigilante fights the attacker off and pulls out a metal baton. He whacks the legs of this attacker and backhands him across the face, knocking him out.

Once he knows the attacker is unconscious, Tails takes off his face mask and hoodie so he can breathe. It's so dark back here no one would be able to see his face, anyway. He puts the disguise back on and kneels down next to this mysterious individual

 _ **..You Stevie?**_

"...who wants to know?..

 _ **I do, asshole. I heard you're one of Lynx' lackeys. I've got a problem with him but he won't show up to face me. I was hoping you'd point me in the right direction**_

"Dude, I don't even work for him anymore! He's got a new guy, I swear!"

"Seriously, He hires new guys all the time! I don't roll with him anymore! I swear on my life!"

 _ **Then where do I find the guys who do?**_

"Man, I can't snitch-"

Sage grabs his fingers and twists them backwards, causing Stevie to howl in pain

 _ **Names. Now.**_

"Okay, okay- OKAY! ...he meets with his goons at the old gambling hall, least he did last time I was there"

 _ **When was that?**_

"Two days ago! Bro, please- let go of my fingers-"

Sage twists them once more and releases the goon. He screams in pain and the Vigilante leaves the compound.

 _ **Tails:** I don't like this whole situation, I know somebody's lying to me but I can't tell who. It's times like this I wish I had some backup._

 _I followed my GPS to the location but no surprise, there's no gambling hall. I turned on the thermal camera feature on my phone and it found a heat signature about 50 yards away._

 _I used the SAGE program to hack into the security system and gain access to this hidden building, god I hope there's something useful here._

Tails shines his phones flashlight around the dark room and soon finds a row of computers that are covered up with a sheet. He puts on a pair of leather gloves to cover his fingerprints and he pulls the sheet off the computers

 _This guy's not messing around..._

Tails sits at a station and logs into the computer. He looks through various files and reads names of men and women he doesn't know.

He begins putting the pieces together

 _Lynx is setting up an auction for the SAGE program!_

A mysterious figure sneaks up behind the Vigilante with a gun in his hand. Tails' SAGE program starts beeping so he looks to it

He sees the heat signature of someone right behind him, and they've got an electronic device that can be hacked.

Tails presses a button on the SAGE program and this individual freezes on the spot

Tails activates his voice distorting app and speaks: _**Sorry pal but nobody sneaks up on me.**_

He turns around and looks Shadow the Hedgehog in the eyes, unable to move

 _ **...Shadow?!**_

The Black hedgehog grunts and strains as he tries to get loose but the SAGE program has overridden his firewall and frozen the system temporarily

Tails takes off his face-mask and hoodie to reveal his face

 _ **It's me, Tails!**_

"Prower?"

Tails unfreezes him and deactivates the voice distortion "You're an _android!_ "

Shadow grabs him by the throat "No, I'm **not!** "

The Vigilante freezes him once again and breaks free from Shadow's grasps

"Dude, chill out! I wouldn't be able to freeze you if you weren't operated by an internal machine... wait a minute, so that means you're not the original Shadow"

The frozen Android sighs angrily and shuts his eyes

"You gonna behave if I unfreeze you?"

Shadow nods his head and Tails presses the release button. The android once again starts to strangle Tails so he freezes him once more.

"Okay! Okay, I'll stop..." Shadow says "...just needed to get that out of my system"

Tails rubs his neck and takes a seat, then he releases Shadow.

He falls to one knee "...Alright, I _am_ an android. I was looking for the original Shadow to warn him of something disastrous that's been foreseen"

"..right, sure. Uhh- what the hell are you doing in Station Square?" Tails asks

"I thought Faker could help me track down the original"

"Sonic? Man, didn't you hear? ..he died on New Year's Eve. It's been all over the news"

"No, I didn't hear about that. I was reactivated approximately 75.3 hours ago but I do not know who set me loose. Still trying to figure that part out"

"Ohh.. so, you're like- on a mission of your own, huh?"

Shadow says nothing, just stares at the computer Tails hacked into

"..Yeah, I've been having some trouble with a bad guy and I'm trying to find-"

"How'd you get into that console? I've been trying for the last hour to get in"

Tails shows him the SAGE program "With this. It's an artificial intelligence prototype that I modified into-"

"A portable device, capable of overriding virtually any firewall on the planet. Impressive"

"Yeah. This guy Hawk code named it the SAGE program so I've stuck to calling it that"

Realizing how powerful this device is, and that Tails is now his best chance to find the answers he needs, Shadow comes up with a deal for the Fox

"Help me find my Power Rings, and I'll help you find this psychopath"

Tails looks at Shadow "...deal"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7: Let's Stop Playing Around**_

Later that night Tails enters his motel room while Fiona is reading a magazine. She has a pair of headphones in and listens to some music on her phone, ignoring the teenage fox as he takes off his SAGE disguise

"How was your day?" Tails asks

"...I've been texting you since 9 am"

"Oh good to hear, my day was excellent as well. By the way, I brought an old friend over"

Fiona puts her magazine down "Wha-"

"-And before you freak out, NO it's not Knuckles, Amy or Manic"

Shadow the hedgehog enters the room and puts a gear bag on Tails' bed

"Oh, Shit! Tails, why'd you bring him here?!" Fiona shouts as she gets out of bed

The female fox pulls Tails away from the Android and towards the back door

"Fiona, what's wrong with you? He wants to help!" Tails exclaims

"We don't need the kind of help that gets us killed!" She says

"What're you talking about?"

"Shadow tried to kill me!"

The Android scans her face and his internal system brings Fiona's information up on his HUD (Heads Up Display), a display area for statistics and vitals.

"That's half true. While I myself did not make an attempt on your life, an older model did years before. I was activated 75.8 hours ago and therefore, have never met you" Shadow says

Fiona looks at Tails for a response, so he shrugs and starts hooking up his equipment

Shadow sits in a chair and rips open a small panel on his right forearm.

"What're you guys doing?" Fiona asks

"We made a deal earlier, and I agreed to find Shad's Power Rings" Tails explains

The Android turns to him " _Shad?_ "

"Yeah, I shortened it for ya. Y'know, it's less conspicuous if you use an alias-"

"Don't call me that"

"Alright, Shadow it is.."

Fiona points to his arm "Yeah, I meant what're you doing to his arm, are you gonna electrocute him or something?"

"In theory, if Prower passes a connection from my internal memory to his artifical intelligence program, we may be able to use the original Shadow's Genetic Code as a tracking beckon to find the Power Rings. And maybe even his location"

Tails adjusts some settings on the SAGE program "..this is all in theory, of course. Your RAM may not be compatible with or even comprehensible to SAGE-"

Shadow looks up at him "Did you just call me obsolete?"

"-In theory. I would never insult you to your face, Shadow, you know that!.."

The Android scans Tails' face for a moment, then faces the wall "Fear detected. You're still a chicken shit, Prower"

"Yeah, whatever you say, you wanna get juiced up or what"

"Well, please- I'm on your schedule"

Fiona walks into the bathroom "You guys are weirdos"

Tails uses a long USB cord to connect Shadow's internal system to the SAGE program and he types on a laptop

Shadow feels terabytes of information and code being transferred to and from his Memory, so he shuts his eyes and leans back in his chair

"Tell me about your situation, Prower. Tell me how this whole thing started. From the beginning"

 _ **Tails:** I didn't know if Shadow could hear me while all of his memories were being shifted around his system, but I had to talk to someone. I can't tell Fiona anything without her jumping in with that 'I told you so' attitude. And Manic wasn't coming back anytime soon, so... I guess Shadow is the one who gets to listen to all my problems._

 _I started where it all began. I fought Predator Hawk, beat him and decided to steal The SAGE Program. I guess I thought I was saving the world from him because if he had this device, he'd be unstoppable._

 _But I didn't account for how many bad guys wanted this device, or what they were willing to do for it._

 _I stopped halfway through my story when Shadow began to glitch out a bit, but he told me he was fine and to continue._

 _As I spoke, I reminded myself that pretty much everyone close to me has, in some way, asked me to use this device for something other than safety precautions. And I was tired of that._

 _As I finished my story, so did the synchronizing process between Shadow's Genetic Code and the SAGE program. I got a location on his Power Rings almost immediately_

"Your Rings are in the Vace Beach area. That's in Silver Valley" Tails says

Shadow pulls the USB cable out of his arm "I appreciate your help"

Fiona listens to their conversation from inside the bathroom, contemplating what Tails said about everyone using him to get to the SAGE program.

"Alright, so how do I find Lynx?"

"Who? Oh, right- your friend Duncan isn't a friend, he's a spy for Lynx" Shadow says

"What? No, he told me he left Lynx' organization when Fiona caught him spying on us the first time. He's out" Tails responds

The Android looks Tails in the face "...he's the mole. He's playing you. And so is she. Are you going to do anything about that?"

The Fox scoffs at this "...how do you know for sure?"

"I'm really good at Clue. I also adopted Guess Who into my repertoire just to stay sharp at figuring people out and solving mysteries. We should sit down and play a game, sometime"

Tails sighs and turns back to his laptop in a passive aggressive manner

"Follow him if you don't believe me. He's spying on you, why not do a little in return"

A light bulb turns on in Tails mind and he grabs his gear bag

Before Shadow leaves the motel room, Tails throws a Black long sleeve shirt and Black jeans at him

"What is this for?" The Android asks

"Put 'em on. You can't walk around half naked anymore" Tails says

"What? We're doing clothes, now?"

"It's a different world now that everyone's PC. Gotta cover up"

Shadow quickly changes into his all Black outfit and opens the front door

He turns to Tails before he goes "I will not forget your generosity, Miles Prower. Farewell"

Tails nods at the Android and watches him leave, then starts packing his gear bag with supplies.

Fiona walks out of the bathroom and stands behind the Fox

"Miles, please tell me you're not actually listening to that Murder bot"

"That Murder bot's been the only one to give me answers that aren't full of shit. There's a chance Shadow's wrong, yes.. but I've got a feeling he isn't. So I'm going after Duncan to confirm my suspicions"

Fiona gets in his way "This isn't worth it. All these bad things that've happened to you, I'm sorry... but this- what you're doing, it won't solve anything!"

She lightly grasps the sides of Tails head but he pushes her off

"Shadow is right about you, and Duncan, and Lynx, and even me. It's time I do something about this..."

Tails puts his face mask on, pulls his hoodie over his head and walks to the door

"..I'll call you when I find what I'm looking for. Be ready to move"

Fiona watches Tails leave the motel room and disappear into the night streets.

 _ **Tails:** I was determined to find out who's been lying to me and what their true intentions are. I know damn well Fiona's story about being helpless is all bullshit. But I know she wouldn't sabotage my life like Lynx has._

 _At the same time, my faith's been shaken by her before._

 _Tonight this ends with me and Lynx, no matter what. And I've found the perfect guy to set up the meeting._

Duncan, the Red Hedgehog who swore he wasn't working for Lynx, leaves the apartment Tails helped him move into. He's wearing a bright red hockey jersey, black long sleeve shirt underneath and black grip gloves. Along with his black work pants and steel toed boots, Duncan looks ready for some manual labour tonight.

Tails, hidden inside his SAGE vigilante outfit, walks along a rooftop and follows the Red Hedgehog. He uses chimneys and air ducts for cover as he trails close behind.

He walks 9 blocks into the innercity boys' turf and climbs through a giant hole in a rusty chain link fence. The Vigilante keeps his distance, knowing he'll be spotted if he gets too close.

Then a Sports Car pulls up and Lynx hops out of the back seat.

 _I knew it. I fuckin' knew it..._

The Vigilante opens his SAGE program, hacks into a nearby cellphone and gains access to the microphone feature. Now he can hear the entire conversation from his position

"Duncan, how are ya? My guys treating you good over there?" Lynx says as he puts his fist out

Duncan fist bumps him "Yeah, they're cool. Except DJ, can you talk to him, he's chirping too much"

"I'll deal with him. What's happening with Miles Prower? You get anything we can use against him?"

"Umm.. not yet-"

"Oh, come on, what's the problem?"

"The kids' a recluse! He disappears a lot. It'd be suspicious if I ask him to meet me anywhere without a good reason" Duncan explains

"Alright, I see what you're saying. Look: Be friendly to him, make him trust you enough to talk to you on a daily basis. That's only way we'll get close to him, D. Once he trusts you completely, lead him to me. Alright?" Lynx asks

"Yeah, I can do that. The kids' a moron! I got this"

"And get me some information on Prower's Vigilante buddy, that guy called SAGE. I wanna know more about that crazy little shit"

Lynx laughs and shakes his hand on his way out of the meeting. Duncan leaves the innercity and heads back to his apartment.

He walks through a tunnel with graffiti sprayed all over, then Duncan gets punched in the face.

"Ow! The fuck, man? What's your-"

Duncan looks up and sees the street lights gleaming off The Vigilante's mask menacingly

"Holy shit"

The Red Hedgehog turns around and runs for the other tunnel exit but SAGE throws a small chain at his legs and he falls face first against the concrete wall.

He trembles in fear as this masked man kicks him in his back. He leans in so he's face-to-face with the Vigilante

Tails actives his voice distortion: _**Your boss wants to know more about me? Call him down here so we can get aquatinted.**_

"B...bro, please-"

He punches Duncan in the face and stomps on his injured leg violently.

The SAGE program beeps and shows a police cruiser is driving by right now.

 _ **You tell Lynx this ends tonight. Me and him one on one.**_

He backhands Duncan one last time and disappears before the police spot him. The Red Hedgehog groans quietly, pulls out his phone and dials Lynx' number

"Boss?... I just ran into the vigilante.. he says he wants a one on one with you tonight.."

Meanwhile, Tails takes off his mask and hoodie and tucks them in a gear bag he hid in the branches of a tall tree.

He walks through the Station Square Strip, passing the night clubs and college bars that everyone's drinking at. Nobody seems to notice the 15 year old Fox as he passes through

Tails' phone starts to ring and he picks it up without looking at the caller ID

"Yeah" He answers

"Miles, Lynx found the motel, I had to run" Fiona says

Tails stops in his tracks

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am. We need to meet right away, I can't talk on the phone"

"Where?"

"I can meet you wherever you are"

Tails hesitates to answer, growing paranoid about what might happen

"...I'm on the downtown strip, outside Rocky's"

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit"

less than 10 minutes later Fiona Fox arrives on the strip and looks for Tails through the crowds of college kids outside the bars.

Tails leans against a tree on a nearby side street and Fiona makes her way over.

"Miles, I know where Lynx is" Fiona says

"Yeah, I just spoke with his delivery boy Duncan. I set up a meeting between us and we're gonna settle this shit" Tails responds

"...I can take you to him right now, but you're not going to like what happens when we get there"

"Lead the way"

Fiona walks into the train tracks so Tails follows. He leaves his gear bag hidden in another tree without her knowing.

They walk for 15 minutes, then they come across a metal cellar door in the middle of a free field. Fiona picks it up and they climb a ladder that leads underneath the city. She uses her phones' flashlight to see in the darkness, then they see a bright blue light in the distance so they move towards it.

She pushes two metal gates open and enter a massive underground train station

Armed guards raise their weapons at the duo so they raise their hands

"It's alright. They're not packing heat" Lynx says

Tails looks at Fiona at the corner of his eye, then turns back to his enemy

"Did you get my friends' message?" Tails asks

"Yeah, loud 'n clear. Duncan told me right after he left the tunnel"

"So, lets do it. Get down here and fight me one on one"

Duncan enters the room, bruised from the beating and bandaged up

"This isn't about a fight"

Fiona steps away from Tails and joins Lynx' side

"You don't understand the balance this SAGE device could bring for us, Miles"

Lynx walks down a metal staircase and stands 15 feet away from Tails

"I've played your game long enough, Prower. You want to be a vigilante, kick some ass and save the day? Cool. But now it's time to face reality. You're just a kid who doesn't understand this situation"

"I understand enough to know I can't let bad guys like you have this program. Because I know bad guys do bad shit to good people. You ruin lives to get what you want" Tails says

Lynx exhales, agitated by the 15 year old

"Look, Tails: our government is fucked. We pay them billions of dollars to lie to us. To spy on us. To give Police the ability to murder us with no repercussions whatsoever. That has to stop. Yes, my agenda isn't just against the corrupt, I won't lie. And I'm not gonna say I'm some hero because I'm not. I'm a criminal through and through. But I want change, and so does everyone in this room"

Tails looks Fiona in the eyes for a brief moment, then looks back at Lynx

"...our government has nothing to do with your obsession of the SAGE program. Police don't just murder innocent people everyday, and not everyone is being spied on 24 hours a day. I won't say our government is perfect, but for you to try and use that as excuse for everything you've done to me... I know why you brought me here. And I'm telling you, straight to your face, I'll never give you the SAGE program. And you'll never take it from me, even if you kill me. Because you're all bad guys. And my job is to stop you"

Lynx shakes his head in disapproval and turns his back to Tails. Fiona shuts her eyes and looks away from the Fox

"Alright. Fuck it, then"

Lynx pulls out a pistol and aims it directly for Tails' heart. He misses his shot as Fiona pushes his arm up and punches him in the throat

"You said you only wanted the device!"

"Ack! Hurghhh... Guards! Shoot this bitch and her boyfriend!"

"TAILS! RUN!"

The teenage Fox jumps for cover as Lynx' guards fire machine guns at him. Fiona takes Lynx' pistol and takes a few guards out before he takes a bullet to the body.

Tails looks towards the exit and thinks about leaving, but he hears Fiona scream in pain so he makes up his mind and heads back into the fight.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter 8: The Long Night_**

 _Tails: This was the first real gun fight I've ever been in and guys, I was terrified. I was scared of dying. The sound of those death machines paralyzed me as the bullets got closer and closer._

 _But I knew there was only one way out of here._

 _I crawled towards Fiona as she bled out in the middle of the room, I took her gun and I fired off as many quick shots as I could. Now, I'm no **John Wick** headshot expert or nothing, but I hit every target I aimed for._

 _Those targets being the gunmen's legs._

 _One by one they dropped and cried in pain._

Holy shit! Tails exclaims

Duncan takes off into the shadows when he sees Tails firing a gun

"You chicken shit coward!" Lynx shouts

Fiona turns to Tails "...I'm sorry about everything-"

"Save your energy, we're getting out of here"

Tails puts Fiona's arm over his shoulder and helps her stand up.

They start walking to the exit when Lynx jumps up and shouts Tails' name

"You wanted me one on one? Well, here I am! Come on, lets do this, then!"

Fiona rests against a metal gate "...go kick his ass"

Tails clinches his fists and makes his way back to Lynx. He runs in aggressively, showing his inexperience as Lynx catches him with 3 lighting fast punches to the head. The Fox throws counter punches but they either miss or Lynx is quicker with his strikes.

Tails' head is bounced around so he steps back to recover.

Lynx stays in his fighting stance and motions for Tails to Bring it.

The Fox comes in calm this time, waiting for his chance to strike. Lynx throws left and right hook punches that narrowly miss Tails as he dips and dodges around. After Lynx throws a straight right hand, Tails counters with 5 quick punches, ducks under a strike and sweep kicks Lynx' ankles out from under him.

He springs off the ground and brings his foot down on Lynx' face, an audible CRUNCH is heard by Fiona after this attack. Lynx groans in pain while Tails jumps up to deliver another painful stomp. This time Lynx catches the Fox in mid air and throws him at the metal staircase.

"Little prick! Agh, damnit!... enough of this bullshit, it's time to die!"

Tails pulls out the SAGE program as Lynx picks up a gun. He hacks into the underground stations' Breaker Box and over charges it's power.

Just as Lynx aims the gun at the Fox, the Breaker Box explodes in his face and causes sparks to burn him.

Tails races over to Fiona, picks her up and heads towards the exit while Lynx screams out

"You little bastard! This shit ain't over! You run from me and I'll come after all your fucking friends! _**TAILS! GET BACK HERE!** "_

The Fox thinks about this threat for a moment, then he feels Fiona's blood dripping onto his arm so he gets moving again.

He carries the female fox in his arms and flies out of the man hole cover they entered the tunnels in. Tails flies as fast as he can to reach a hospital or a nearby clinic before Fiona bleeds out.

"Tails, It's okay if you don't save my life (cough) .. I damn near ended yours down there..."

"Don't talk like that, Fiona, you're gonna be fine. I'll get you there"

The Fox stops in a large parking lot to catch his breath. Across the street, a group of teenagers leave the mall and cut through the parking lot when they stumble upon Tails and Fiona

Charmy Bee pushes through the crowd "Tails, is that you? Jesus Christ, what the hell happened?"

Tails looks behind him, fearing Lynx may catch up "..Charmy, you need to get as far away from this area as possible!"

"What're you talking about? Bro, do you need a drink? I've got a few bottles in my back pack, just a sec-"

Tails smells alcohol on his breath "Damnit, Charmy, are you drunk?!"

"Me? Nah, man I just smoked some dope with my beautiful friends"

Lettia spots Charmy talking with Tails so she runs up to them

"Miles? What happened? Oh my god, you're bleeding!"

"Lettia, Charmy- you guys need to run, NOW!"

Duncan runs up behind Tails and whacks him in the back with a crowbar. The metal makes a muffled CLANG as it strikes the Fox's flesh and he goes down

Charmy and Lettia jump back

"Holy shit!"

"What are you doing?!"

Duncan pushes Fiona to the ground and waves his crowbar around "Stay back!"

He pulls out his phone "Boss, I got 'em. We're in the parking lot of ACE Arcade and Diner. Yeah, I'll keep 'em here"

less than 5 minutes later Lynx shows up, holding a white towel against his freshly burned face. He kicks Tails in the face as he walks up and pulls out a gun

"Where's the Bee and the girlfriend?" He demands

Duncan pushes Charmy and Lettia toward him

"You two are coming with us. Lets move!"

Duncan picks up Tails and pushes Fiona towards him. He puts her arm over his shoulder once again and they follow Lynx inside an Office Building. Since it's after business hours, the doors are locked so Lynx points the gun at Tails

"Open the doors. Do it, right fucking NOW"

"It's gonna trigger an alarm if I don't access it's system the right way-"

"I don't give a shit about no god damn alarm, just DO IT!"

Tails uses the SAGE program to unlock the doors, causing an alarm to go off for an unauthorized bypass. Lynx forces everyone into the building, through the elegant lobby and into the nearest elevator.

Tails, Fiona, Charmy and Lettia huddle together while Lynx and Duncan stand at the doors.

Lettia turns to Tails "What's going on?"

"I have something he wants.."

Charmy leans in "Did ya steal his girlfriend? My boy Tails was always good at that!"

Tails backs up "Holy fuck, your breath stinks. Did you eat your own shit? Jesus!..."

Duncan backhands Tails across the face "Shut up!"

Fiona looks up at the Floor number they're going to "...31st floor? What are you gonna do, throw us off the roof?"

Lynx turns around and grabs the bullet wound on her body

"A great idea, why don't we start with you?"

Fiona cries out in pain and the elevator stops. The doors open and Duncan pushes everyone out. The entire office is pitch black except for the red EXIT signs in the corners. Everyone walks towards the glass windows and look out over the city

Lynx turns Tails around and pistol whips him across the face, drawing blood from his nose. He falls on the floor and grasps his face while Lynx stands in front of his friends

"I'm done fucking around, Prower. Taking your home away and turning the city against you obviously isn't working so I'll use a more direct approach, which I should've done from the beginning"

Tails looks up to see Lynx fire a bullet into the glass window, shattering it and letting the cold autumn wind come in. Everyone shouts in terror for a second then Lynx aims the gun at Lettia

"NO!"

Tails gets to his feet and runs at Lynx but Duncan whacks him in the legs with the crowbar. Tails falls to his knees and groans in pain

"We're gonna play a game. You give me the SAGE program or someone dies. If you choose to let your friends die, I'll also let you choose how I kill them. With a bullet? Or throw 'em out the window? It's up to you"

"You're a sick piece of shit, Lynx!"

"That's your opinion. I like to think of myself as a winner. Now, choose: Give up the A.I, or kiss your friends goodbye. Hey, that rhymed"

Tails glares at Lynx while he contemplates what to do. He looks over to his friends and sees the scared looks on their faces, tears streaming in Lettia's eyes

"..Okay, times up. D, grab miss Fiona and take her to the window"

Duncan grabs the female fox by the hair and drags her to the shattered window. She tries to fight him but he's much stronger than her

"So, Tails: Bullet or window?"

Fiona jumps up and punches Duncan in the throat as fast as she can. Lynx turns to her and fires twice before Tails rushes up and tackles him out another window

"Oh Shit!" Charmy shouts

Fiona falls to her knees and grasps her stomach, feeling a second bullet enter her body.

Lettia rushes over to apply pressure to the wound, while Duncan catches his breath and stands up

Lynx drops his gun and Lettia sees it "Charmy! Grab the gun!"

"The what? Oh, right!" He says

Duncan dives for the weapon but Charmy tackles him in mid air and they begin to fight.

Outside, Tails holds Lynx by the shirt and punches him in the face as they free fall. He uses his two tails to stop falling and hover in the air, but Lynx starts punching back so he looks for a spot to land.

Tails sees a rooftop nearby and flies towards it, while taking some punches from his enemy.

They slam into a billboard and let go of each other. Tails gets to his feet first and kicks Lynx in the forehead, stunning him. He uses this chance to punch him as many times as he can before he recovers. Lynx puts his hands up, blocks the punches and knees Tails in the ribs.

They step back from each other, then move forward again to fight. Tails ducks a punch, strikes Lynx' body and rises with a painful elbow strike that knocks a tooth out of Lynx' mouth, along with blood.

Tails runs along the billboard platform, jumps up, kicks off the poster and thrust-kicks Lynx directly in the face.

The power of the kick knocks Lynx off the platform and he falls 17 feet to the sidewalk below.

Tails hovers in the air and looks down at his enemy, beaten and unconscious.

Police sirens sound out from all over the city, prompting Tails to return to his friends in the office building.

"You guys alright?" Tails asks as he flies through the shattered window

"Yeah. But that Red Hedgehog jumped out the window. Suicidal prick.." Charmy says

They look out the window and see Duncan limping away from the building and into the back streets.

Tails kneels beside Fiona and holds her hand

"You're gonna be fine, help is on their way up"

"...I know I don't deserve the help, but thank you, Miles"

Tails sits with the Female Fox and Charmy looks down at them

"...so, that was some heavy shit"

Lettia sighs "Yeah, you're tellin' me... Tails, what was that all about, anyway?"

The Fox finally decides to come clean "...a device that should be locked away and hidden forever.."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter_ _9: The Show Goes On_**

 _ **Tails** : So here we are. The battle with Lynx is over, Fiona is shot and my friends from school have been dragged into this disaster._

 _Not bad for my first month back._

 _Police circled the building, they got a call about a break in at the Law Firm downtown so they assumed it was a robbery or arson. What they found was a bunch of shook up teenagers, one bleeding, and one suspect knocked out on a rooftop across the street._

 _Police had a lot of questions for us but the main one that came up was "What was this vendetta about? What was he so obsessed with taking from me?"_

 _I looked over at Lynx as police cuffed him and he looked back at me. Neither of us told the cops anything about SAGE, since it's technically an illegal piece of technology that was stolen._

 _They hauled him away and paramedics tended to the rest of us. Fiona was put on a stretcher and they stabilized her gunshot wounds, while I stood next to her and waited to be released._

Police Officer Baxter and a female officer push past the paramedics and walk up to the stretcher

"Fiona Fox, is it?" Baxter asks

The female fox looks away "Umm, no, my name is Rose-"

"Yeah, I bet it is"

Tails steps in the way "What's the problem, what's going on?"

"Miss Fox is wanted on a Zone-Wide arrest warrant for racketeering, aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit murder" The female officer says "You're under arrest"

Baxter slaps one handcuff bracket on her wrist and the other bracelet on the stretcher railing

Fiona sighs and lays back "..I always knew my past was gonna catch up to me someday. I'm sorry Miles, but.. looks like I'm going away for awhile"

"But- that was a long time ago, it shouldn't matter now!" Tails argues

"It just doesn't work like that, kid. C'mon. Say your goodbyes" Baxter says

Tails looks at Fiona "I'll figure something out, don't think I'm just gonna let you sit in there-"

"It's alright, Miles. Don't waste your life waiting for me to change, go out and live your life"

Fiona pulls Tails in close for one last long, passionate goodbye kiss. She lets go and smiles at the teenage Fox as the paramedics put the stretcher inside the ambulance.

Tails waves one last time to her and the ambulance drives off.

Charmy walks next to Tails "Damn shame, bro. She was really starting to grow on me"

The Fox turns to face the Bee, then shakes his head and leans against a police cruiser

Lettia joins the guys "Tails, are you alright?"

"...y'know, after all this crazy shit, I'm not bad. Sure, I don't have a place to call a real home, or many friends who actually like me... but I beat Lynx. I beat the bad guy. And I think that's more than most kids my age can say. So, yeah, Lettia, I'm doing alright for myself"

"...good to know, umm- do you guys want to get smoothies or something? I really just wanna sit down and relax" She says

"I'm down. T, you coming?" Charmy asks

"Yeah, lets uh.. go grab some smoothies"

 _ **Tails:** Not quite the ideal activity I had in mind after a final showdown, but at least we're all still alive. And Lettia doesn't hate me anymore._

 _As we sat on a lounge patio and drank our beverages, I completely forgot I still had the SAGE program in my pocket. I started receiving strange messages from Duncan, saying something like he's not finished with me and he's gonna get some friends to help him. I don't know, sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me._

 _I got curious and hacked into the police headquarters' security cameras to see what Lynx had to say to them. I got access to a camera in one of their interrogation rooms and I saw Lynx sitting at a table across from two detectives._

"So, what was this whole thing about?" the first detective asks

"...I ain't saying shit til my lawyer gets here, dawg" Lynx growls

"Alright, you don't wanna tell us, fine. We'll just pop your buddy Duncan and I'm willing to bet he'll sing like a fuckin' canary. You want that?"

Lynx exhales "...fine. That Fox has a mobile artificial intelligence program that can hack into anything on the planet, and I tried to steal it off him"

Tails exits out of the security camera and puts the SAGE program away.

He stands up "I gotta go, guys"

"Bro, we just got here, what's your deal?"

"..something personal I gotta take care of. I'll call you if I come back"

Lettia looks at him "What, you're leaving town?"

"Yeah, it's just something I gotta do right now. Could mean trouble if I don't"

The teenage Fox picks up his smoothie "Thanks again. See you guys around"

 _ **Tails:** I left that lounge and snuck into my old apartment building. See, I installed a secret compartment behind a bookcase, and inside that compartment was a lockbox. I dug it out and pulled out a small touchscreen device I restored._

 _This is my SAGE program prototype that I never finished._

 _I worked as fast as I could to copy the original Code into my prototype and once I finished that, I left the apartment with both devices. My prototype isn't nearly as efficient as the original, but it'll be a good tool to keep around._

 _I used the original to hack into a car that runs on electricity and I stole it. My driving skills aren't as refined as my flying skills, but I got to where I wanted to go._

 _ **Green Hill Zone**. It's where Sonic's mausoleum is. Manic wanted to put a tomb here so he could go in and say he was a _Tomb Raider _but we all agreed this was a better tribute._

Tails walks into the graveyard and through the grass. A flashlight shines over his face from nearby

"What are ya doing in here, kid? It's the middle of the night, for christ sakes!" The Groundskeeper says

"I.. uh, could ask you the same thing, don't groundskeepers usually work during the day? What's going on here, huh? Nevermind me, man" Tails retorts

"..I guess you got a good point"

"Hey, I know it's like, midnight, but sir- could you open Sonic's mausoleum for me? I was his best friend, and I have to leave something in there. Don't ask me why I can't wait til morning because this can't wait. Please?"

The old man looks at Tails for a moment "..sure, why not. But be fast, I ain't the only one watching over this boneyard"

"Thank you, sir"

The teenage Fox enters behind the Groundskeeper and he pulls out his lockbox. He puts the original SAGE program inside, locks it shut and places the box in front of Sonic's cenotaph

Tails looks at a picture of his friend "..wish you were here, pal. Take care of this box for me"

The Fox leaves the graveyard and jumps back in the stolen car. He takes the back streets to avoid any police attention and arrives back in Station Square. He drives to the Motel Room and lays down on the king sized mattress.

The next day Charmy calls him at 9 am

"Hello" Tails answers

"Bro, you gotta come to the school, the board of education is here. They said they're gonna let you come back to school!" Charmy exclaims

Tails sits up "Really?"

"Yeah, man! Just come down here!"

The Fox hangs up, showers and puts on his best outfit for the occasion. The students see him fly in from the sky and start cheering as he lands on the school roof.

All 8 board members shake his hand and welcome Tails back.

Even officer Baxter is here.

Principle O'shea walks up to Tails and extends his hand

"I just want to personally say Welcome Back, Miles" O'shea says

Tails looks at him "..I won't shake your hand until you apologize for not believing my story, and for being so quick to kick me out of school, Principle O'shea. And I want you to say it loud enough for everyone to hear!"

"Uh- Miles, certainly we can resolve this another way-"

"For once in your life, show some humility! Suck it up and admit you were wrong. Show these students, lead by example and hopefully this never happens to anyone ever again. _**Apologize!**_ "

O'shea stands up straight and clears his throat "..alright. I apologize, Miles Prower. I admit I was wrong about you, and I'm sorry"

Tails smiles and shakes his hand "I always wanted to make an adult apologize to me"

"Alright, everyone! Back to your classes. The school day resumes now" Baxter says

Charmy and Lettia walk up to Tails "T, man that was awesome! O'shea just got put in his place, bro!"

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you about what was happening. It must've been so stressful"

Tails pulls out his SAGE prototype "It was, but all that's over with now. Lets put the band back together and play another show, guys"

The trio walk through the crowd of students and make their way to the Music Classroom, eager to revive their Rock Band for another Gig.

 _ **THE END**_

 **HEY GUYS! THANKS FOR STICKING AROUND AND READING MY FIC TO THE END! I WANNA GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO MY FRIENDS CONOR, CYNICAL AND TREY FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT, YOU GUYS ARE THE REASON I CONTINUE TO WRITE.**

 **BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS TWO STORIES "Mad Dog" AND "Trick", AS WELL AS MY UPCOMING STORY "This is the Best"**

 **'TIL NEXT TIME, PEACE!**

 **~Manace3117**


	10. Epilogue

_EPILOGUE_

A few months have passed since Tails defeated Lynx and Duncan was forced to flee Station Square. The Red Hedgehog has jumped from town to town, staying in hideouts and avoiding police.

The snow storm comes in as Christmas fast approaches, only 2 weeks away.

As he sits in a public library, Duncan uses the skills he learned in technical studies class to help him program an app into his phone, an app he built, Coded and polished himself.

He calls it The _All Seeing_ App

While he works on his app, he reads two separate news articles online. The first being about a 14 year old girl with Telekinesis abilities who fought Manic the Hedgehog, and ultimately lost. Her name is Starr.

The second article is about a 17 year old Echidna named Abbott Jak Toomes, or AJ for short. AJ was transformed into a beast called Enerjak, taken from Angel Island's mythology. He was ridiculed and called an outcast even after he was freed from the beast, and Knuckles the Echidna is responsible for this.

Duncan gets the All Seeing app to work "Yes!... now, lets try this bad boy out"

The Red Hedgehog uses the keywords TELEKINESIS and STARR into the search tab and presses enter.

His app tracks Starr's location using a combination of news footage and security cameras that have her on video. She's currently hiding out in a small town just outside of Metropolis.

Duncan stands up, zips his winter jacket up and heads out to the small town.

He jumps on a moving train and it takes him most of the way there, then he hitch hikes the rest of the way into town. Even with all the snow blowing, he can tell this is a ' _Hick Town'_

Using All Seeing, Duncan follows Starr's trail and he's led to an old steel mill. Orchid Purple light makes a trail that confirms Starr is inside. Duncan takes a deep breath and enters

"Hello? Starr? You here?"

The 14 year old zooms behind Duncan and knocks him to the floor, then pins him down so he can't move

"Who are you, what do you want?!" Starr asks

"Easy! Relax, I'm not a cop! I don't wanna hurt you!"

"You didn't answer my second question"

"I want your help!"

Starr takes a second to think "...with what?"

"Miles 'TAILS' Prower screwed me over and forced me to leave my hometown!"

"What does that have to do with me?!"

Starr painfully twists his arm behind his back

"Agh! ..He's best friends with Manic the Hedgehog! I want to take them down!" Duncan shouts

The 14 year old lets him go and steps away from him. Duncan looks up at the Purple Hedgehog and gets to one knee

"I know what happened, Starr. The same thing that happened to you, happened to me... I had the power to change my city for the better, then Tails stepped in and ruined it. Now everyone thinks I'm a bad guy and he's this big hero. I had to flee my hometown because of him.."

Starr looks at him "Manic has a Medallion that gives him abilities, and he didn't know it at the time but he gave others abilities without having to use this Medallion. They call us _**Elementals**_... I was the most powerful Elemental and I was the Boss! I ruled over an entire city!... then Manic stopped all of that. He was jealous of me and what I could do so, he fucked it up as best as he could.. I will rip his heart out the next chance I get"

"That's why I came out here to see you. I don't have anything left to go back to. And I know if I go against Tails' friends by myself, I'll get wrecked... so I'm putting together a crew of my own. Together, we can eliminate them all! Once they're gone, we can take back everything we had" Duncan explains

Starr crosses her arms "...who else is part of this team?"

The Red Hedgehog smiles "Come with me and find out"

Using her Telekinesis powers, Starr and Duncan travel through the snow storm with no problems. Her energy beams melt a path for them while an energy shield keeps them warm as they fly down the east coast.

Duncan's All Seeing app triangulates AJ's position to a gang hideout in Metropolis. They find it and enter the old building

Starr keeps her hands up, ready to fire Energy Rays at an enemy

Duncan walks into the basement and spots a tall teenage Echidna sitting on a wooden crate

"AJ Toomes?"

The Echidna turns around and looks at him "You got til the count of 5"

"We're putting together a crew to take down Miles Prower, Manic and Knuckles the Echidna! And I know what he did to you-"

AJ grabs Duncan's throat and throws him against a wall "You don't have a clue what that son of a bitch did to me"

Starr uses her Telekinesis to push the large Echidna backwards, but he's able to block out the next attack. She struggles to keep him still while Duncan catches his breath

"Bro, we're going to kill them! All of them! But we need your help!"

Neon Purple restraints keep AJ still but he's breaking through them fast

"Look, Tails fucked up my life, same with Manic and her... but you're right, AJ... I don't know what Knuckles did to you"

Starr slowly releases the Echidna and starts to calm down

AJ exhales "...I was just like you before, actually I think I was smaller than you. I had a good life, I was a foot soldier in a street gang that used to meet here in this house... then Knuckles came along and pretty much gave me up to an evil goth fuck who transformed me into a murderous beast!... I killed my gang, the only family I had, and then Knuckles decided to help me but the damage was done. The beast left my body but I was changed. Knuckles and his friends went home after and they were called heroes... I'll never forgive him for ruining my life"

Duncan steps toward him "I know what you mean, bruh. To them, Knuckles, Manic and Tails are celebrities. But I know what they are. Fake fucks who want to that spotlight. And ever since Sonic died, well they've got it. That's what we're going to end"

The Red Hedgehog extends his hand to AJ

"...Knuckles is mine" he says

"Deal. They're all going down, anyway"

AJ shakes Duncan's hand, then he shakes Starr's hand. The trio spend the night in the gang hideout, then get acquainted over breakfast, where they discuss a timetable for the assault

"So, when are we doing this?" AJ asks

"I've got word Tails is inviting everyone over for christmas and New Years, I just don't know where yet. So, given that everyone is free during the Christmas Holidays, our timetable is set for the next two weeks"

Starr grins "It's gonna be a bloody Xmas for them, this year"

"Their last Xmas"

AJ drinks a glass of Whiskey "..so what's this little team called? Junior league?"

"I haven't got a name yet, but it'll be a good one, when I figure it out"

Duncan's All Seeing app starts beeping so he checks it.

He spots Tails getting off a train in Green Hill

"Looks like we know where they're spending Christmas at. I think it's time we go re-introduce ourselves"

The trio finish their breakfast and make their way down to the Green Hill Zone for their revenge.

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN _"THIS IS THE BEST"_**


End file.
